What causes ""${name}" must be greater than 0, but got ${JSON.stringify(value)}" in remotion-dev/remotion?

Set `thickness` to a positive number (e.g. >= 1); use the default by omitting the field.

remotion-dev/remotion · error · TypeError

"${name}" must be greater than 0, but got ${JSON.stringify(v

Error message

"${name}" must be greater than 0, but got ${JSON.stringify(value)}

What it means

Thrown by validatePositive() in the lines effect when `thickness` (after applying the default) is <= 0. Line thickness must be strictly positive because it determines the fragment shader's stroke width, so zero/negative values are rejected at setup. Note `gap` uses the separate validateNonNegative and allows 0.

Source

Thrown at packages/effects/src/lines.ts:166

		offset: p.offset ?? DEFAULT_OFFSET,
		maskToSourceAlpha: p.maskToSourceAlpha ?? DEFAULT_MASK_TO_SOURCE_ALPHA,
	};
};

const formatEnum = (variants: readonly string[]): string => {
	if (variants.length === 2) {
		return `"${variants[0]}" or "${variants[1]}"`;
	}

	return `${variants
		.slice(0, -1)
		.map((variant) => `"${variant}"`)
		.join(', ')} or "${variants[variants.length - 1]}"`;
};

const validatePositive = (value: number, name: string): void => {
	if (value <= 0) {
		throw new TypeError(
			`"${name}" must be greater than 0, but got ${JSON.stringify(value)}`,
		);
	}
};

const validateNonNegative = (value: number, name: string): void => {
	if (value < 0) {
		throw new TypeError(
			`"${name}" must be greater than or equal to 0, but got ${JSON.stringify(value)}`,
		);
	}
};

const validateColors = (colors: unknown): void => {
	if (colors === undefined) {
		return;
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to 78fe4bb3fd)

Solutions

Set `thickness` to a positive number (e.g. >= 1); use the default by omitting the field.
When animating, clamp: Math.max(Number.EPSILON, interpolate({ input, range, output })) or conditionally unmount the effect when it should be invisible.
To hide the lines, remove the effect from the sequence rather than setting thickness to 0.
Double-check interpolate's `extrapolateLeft/Right` so the output never reaches 0.

Example fix

// before
lines({ colors: ['#000', '#fff'], thickness: interpolate({ input: frame, range: [0, 30], output: [0, 10] }) });

// after — clamp to a tiny positive value, or unmount when it should be hidden
const thickness = Math.max(0.001, interpolate({ input: frame, range: [0, 30], output: [0.001, 10], extrapolateLeft: 'clamp', extrapolateRight: 'clamp' }));
lines({ colors: ['#000', '#fff'], thickness });

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import {interpolate} from 'remotion';

// Thickness must stay strictly positive; clamp at a tiny epsilon or unmount to hide.
const safeThickness = (v: number) => Math.max(0.001, v);

const thickness = safeThickness(
  interpolate({input: frame, range: [0, 30], output: [0.001, 10], extrapolateLeft: 'clamp', extrapolateRight: 'clamp'})
);
lines({colors: ['#000', '#fff'], thickness});

Type guard

const isValidThickness = (v: unknown): v is number =>
  typeof v === 'number' && Number.isFinite(v) && v > 0;

Prevention

Keep `thickness` strictly positive; omit the field to use the default.
To hide the lines, unmount the effect instead of driving thickness to 0.
Clamp animated thickness with Math.max(Number.EPSILON, ...) and interpolate's clamp extrapolation.
Remember `gap` (validateNonNegative) allows 0, but `thickness` (validatePositive) does not.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling lines({ thickness: 0 }) or with a negative thickness, or animating thickness and letting it reach/cross 0. Because the default is substituted before validation, passing `undefined` is safe — only an explicit <=0 number triggers it.

Common situations: Animators driving thickness to 0 to 'hide' the lines instead of unmounting the effect; copy-pasting a value from a different effect whose minimum is 0; off-by-one in interpolate output arrays; passing a value computed from a division that can yield 0.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@78fe4bb3fd (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/609ff97480c846f8. Report an issue: GitHub.